A Broken Promise
by GelSurfer
Summary: The final battle has begun, and Percy Jackson struggles to survive as Gaea stretches his capabilities to the limit, even as Annabeth stands by his side. But while the rest of the Argo II fights their own battles, they fail to see the rise of Gaea's champion - a greater threat than even the Giants. Previously Called – Endgame • A Final Breath
1. Prologue

**This is my first story on the Percy Jackson series. (Disclaimer Note : I don't own any of these characters, except for the few OC's I might add.)**

 **And always, CRITICISM and SUGGESTIONS are always appreciated! Put them in the REVIEWS!**

 **For those who are worried, the next few chapters will be centered around Percy and the Argo II.**

 **Thanks!**

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PROLOGUE - Unknown Time, Earth

As the sun retreats beneath the horizon, an old woman with red hair and deep, soulful green eyes forces her eyes open and raises them to the horizon. With a whole slew of coughs and wheezes, she struggles to her feet and makes her way to the mouth of the cave. The coldness of the evening hits her hard, and another wave of coughs rack her lungs.

Stumbling, she collapses upon a carpet spread out for her - a lion's pelt that she had found in a sacrificial pool a decade ago - and lays there, ignoring the coldness in the air, the pain in her lungs, the impeding sense of fear plaguing her mind, and closes her eyes, letting one last vision flow through her.

At that one moment, she forgets who she is - she is not the descendent of Apollo, she is not an insignificant mortal upon a small speck of dust, she is no longer bound to the voice of fate. Rather, she becomes one among _them._

An omniscient being.

All seeing.

All knowing.

She sees the world evolve and change. She sees the human and demigod race slowly grow apart, until one becomes completely in denial of the other. She watches as one hero after another falls. She sees moments when humanity hovers on the brink of collapse, and moments when it has never been stronger.

She hears the cries of Gaea as her body is trashed and burned, and feels the primordial goddess's quiet, growing rage at the human race, and can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pity for the goddess of the Earth. It hurts, to watch as nature spirits and gods alike fall to human ignorance.

She witnesses the second rise of the Titans and the Giants, along with a new and different generation of demigods. They are powerful, incredibly so in their own different ways.

She watches as one rises above them all, a boy whose birth is so similar to the stories of the hundreds of heroes that have come before him. Yet, even as the Olympians use him and torture him, enough to turn any other hero bitter and selfish, he remains strong and selfless, dedicating his life to his friends and the girl who seems to never leave his side.

He grows powerful, impossibly so, and rises above his own fate, leaving his life in a mess of string that even the Fates cannot seem to untangle and manipulate. His future is one of the few she cannot see, and that intrigues her.

And the power _they_ wield, she has to remind herself that these heroes are still children. They rewrite the history of the Olympians, and leave a massive impact in the world, forever changing even the gods themselves.

As she watches over them, she realizes that this is the first time she has been genuinely interested by the stories of the children of the Olympians since Hercules' birth - and even his story and powers had been but a shadow to the fate and capabilities of these seven.

It was at this moment, that she decided to see Perseus Jackson's story through, but in the body of a young mortal with frizzy red hair and shining green eyes.

...

Later, stories with lavish twists and turns would be forged when the boy without a name found the Oracle - a mess of limbs twisted in contorted ways, eyes empty pits within her skull, a mouth twisted into an odd smile - and screamed in anguish, promising to topple the Olympians for their crimes against this kind woman who had been a mother to him.

He would never know the truth.

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 **A/N : This chapter was updated and completely redone, give me your thoughts on how it was!**


	2. Empty Promises

**A/N: Reviews are always welcome!**

* * *

 _Athens, Greece_

 _Fire blazed around him, a searing inferno that swathed him in a tight cocoon of flames and licked at his face and body. He knew that his death was near, that the combined power and deeds of all the heroes of the Argo II had still not been enough. Yet, even as the world fell into flames, he didn't want to die a failure, a pawn - he wanted his own death, invented in his own way._

 _With a roar of pain, the tall, dark haired boy ran straight through the inferno cocoon and into a large circular chamber where he doubled over and coughed, swearing at the smoke still stuck in his lungs. His face was burnt, his arms were blackened and numb. His eyes had managed to survive without any injuries, and he forced them open._

 _The boy regretted it immediately._

 _Tears leaked freely from his eyes as his hand moved on its own accord and stroked a girl's face, still beautiful, still so fierce, but no longer warm, no longer stretched with a smile or brightened by the shining eyes behind those closed eyelids._

"NO! ANNABETH!"

Percy Jackson shot out from his bed and collapsed onto the ground, his eyes and cheeks streaked with tears, his breaths entering and leaving his body in uneven gasps, his hair shiny and damp with sweat.

"It's just a dream, Jackson, just another dream," he muttered, trying unsuccessfully to convince himself.

With a weak groan, Percy pushed himself off from the ground and into the shower. Not bothering to remove his pajamas or underwear, he threw open the curtains and let the cool water run down his face and body, reveling in the comfort and power that it gave him.

As he stood there, with the water trickling down his face and clothes, Percy's mind drifted into his worries and thoughts. The Argo II was already in Athens, and neared the original Mount Olympus - the root of the gods. Leo had already told them that it would only be a week, probably much less, until they would arrive at their graves. So until then, he had told them to enjoy themselves.

It made sense, especially when Leo said it, but when you have to fight for control over your _own_ body in every waking minute of your life, enjoying yourself is not very high on your bucket list.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, even Annabeth, Tartarus had ingrained... _something_ in Percy - not simply nightmares or shame, but an actual physical living _thing_. An entity that skulked in the deepest and darkest corners of his mind, that whispered and tempted him with a power he had sworn to avoid, that planted nightmares and visions behind his eyes, and forced them upon him with every blink.

It waged war every morning, and twisted his mind every night. The whispers, the constant screams of torture, it took all of Percy's energy to stay sane and to fight on.

But he was losing. And he knows it.

And that was what scared him most.

Because this thing, knew his true potential.

Nearly thirty minutes later, when Percy stepped out from the shower, he swore he heard Tartarus' dark laughter in the back of his mind.

* * *

Percy was still shaking as he made his way to his room,a small, but comfortable compartment that Leo had designed to rearrange and manipulate itself to the user's preferences. But this room, once a safe haven he knew he could always retreat to, had now become a home to his nightmares.

And suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to open that door. His hand had already moved to the knob, but it merely rested there - frozen, incapable.

 _How am I a hero if I'm to afraid to even face my own nightmares?_

 _Because you know what awaits you,_ a voice whispers back.

A roar of frustration breaks from his throat and he rips his arm back. His wrist is swollen and stung, but it's only a dull throb behind the pain between his eyes. His hands clutch at the bridge of his nose as he staggers up the stairwell and into the cold embrace of the night.

Percy gasps, struggling to force the cool air into his lungs as the voice fades to a whisper.

 _This is now my reality,_ he realizes. _Running from nightmares at every night, fighting myself at every moment._

A tear leaks from his eye and slowly falls, tracing a line down the side of his cheek and landing on the wooden boards.

He inhales slowly and takes in everything. Ever since him and Annabeth had closed the Doors, overloading his thoughts and senses had become the only way to live; listening to the quiet whistle of the wind, the flapping of the Argo II's sail, the sound of the oars and the engine, the oily smell as Festus belched fire, the smell of pines in the wooden floorboards.

It worked, and his muscles began to relax.

Slowly, Percy lets his eyes open and raised them to the heavens - an expanse of darkness painted with streaks of color. He smiles, remembering when Annabeth had brought him to the beach one night and pointed out the constellations for him.

But that had been nothing compared to this. A golden crescent illuminates the city in the distance and shines upon the mountainous landscape beneath them. Streaks of gold, blue, and green are painted across the sky, dotted with small pinpoints of light. The sheer vastness of it all left him breathless, and feeling very, very small.

 _We are but a speck of dust among all this._

The true beauty of the world, without humanity's imprint was awe-inspiring. Everything that he had heard Grover rant about now made sense, and he understood his old friend's desperation to protect this world. To think he had grown up without ever seeing this, to think that the human race had twisted this marvel into a haze of smoke and pollution and dared to call it technological advancement disgusted him.

"It's beautiful isn't it," a voice whispers from behind Percy.

His heart immediately speeds up, and a smile breaks across his face, "It is, it really is."

He turns and brings a hand up to Annabeth's cheek, "But you are as well."

She laughs out loud as a blush spreads across her cheeks and takes his hand in hers.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, unless you plan on standing here all night long, let's find somewhere to sit."

He opens his mouth to protest, but quickly closes it.

"Ok."

She gently tugs at his hand, and he lets her guide him, their footsteps quiet thuds against the wooden deck. Guiding him, she brings her into her cabin, a room with almost the exact same layout as his, but without the snacks and equipment that littered his cabin.

"Well, it's better than my room, for sure," he smiles.

Annabeth laughs - a clear, joyous sound that makes him ridiculously proud of himself.

"Here, I'll show you the best part."

She lifts a remote and shows it to him.

"I discovered this feature a few days ago, when I... when I couldn't sleep. Apparently, Leo had done the same thing with our cabins, but there were a few kinks that I had to fix up."

She notices his confusion and smiles, "I'll show you."

She slides open a hidden control panel, and presses a button, followed by a series of keys, and immediately, the lights shut off.

On either side, walls, previously colored with the natural shades of gold, respond to his preferences and showcase his old home back in Camp Half Blood, with the cozy walls, fountains, and Tyson's shield hanging from a peg. Up above, in the western corner, is the Huntress - a bounding and leaping figure running and hunting endlessly. And far off, visible through the Southern window, is a small apartment nestled into Manhattan's sprawling landscape, its windows painted with the figure of a dancing woman with her husband and their new child.

All this, it brings memories and nostalgia, of the times before when things had been easier and so much more straightforward. Now, with the Prophecy of the Seven, Percy felt as if the Fates had brought upon another quest just to mess with his life. His father had told him many years ago that the life of a hero was never easy, even downright painful at most times, but he doubted that even Poseidon had predicted that the Fates would weave his life with barbed wire.

Times like these made him nostalgic about the Second Titan War, and that was not good. Because if your life is so screwed up that you miss Kronos - you practically know that something _has_ to be fucking with your life. And as a demigod, having primordial beings take interest in your life was not beneficial for your health.

"Percy? Hello?"

"Wha-?" he shakes himself, "I was listening, go on."

"No you weren't," she smiles.

"Yeah, I was. So, what did you say again?"

Annabeth hesitates, "Never mind, it's nothing."

"You are a terrible liar."

"And you're a Seaweed Brain."

"Well, at least I'm your Seaweed Brain," he grins.

She snorts, and in the darkness, Percy sees her look down at the floorboards.

"Is the stone cold Annabeth Chase really blushing?" Percy jokes.

"Shut up."

He laughs, but obeys her command and lets silence fall over them as they sit there, enjoying the view.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're thinking about the giants, aren't you?" Annabeth asks.

"How did you know?"

"Your eyebrows furrowed and your mouth turned downward."

Percy laughs, "You know me too well."

He lays back on there bed and stares into the ceiling.

"Well, it started with something Leo said, about trying to have fun while we can, remember? And, you know, I laughed when I heard that, cause I was thinking, how? How can we have fun and enjoy ourselves while we meet death at every turn? How can we have fun when we know that any second may be our last?" he draws a shaky breath before continuing, "And how can we possibly relax and enjoy ourselves when our loved ones could die at any second?"

He pauses and lifts his eyes to meet Annabeth's, and he can see that she understands his meaning, "You know? But then, the more I think about it, the more I've begun to actually understand what Leo had meant, and -"

She cuts off his sentence and kisses him - long, slow, delicate.

His eyes close and he holds her tight against his chest. Her hair still smells like lemons and strawberries and the areas where he can feel her bare skin against his send goosebumps through his body. His hands drift down to her waist and pulls her into him, closing his eyes as he tries to ingrain this one moment forever into his head.

He gasps when he feels her warm, calloused hands trace up his stomach and pull off his shirt, smiling gently as he kisses the top of her head and pulls the covers over both of them.

"I'm not leaving you, Seaweed Brain, ever."

"I know, Annabeth."

As his eyes close and his thoughts begin to drift toward his dreams, he hears her whisper three words so quietly he can barely hear them.

"I love you."

 _I love you too._

They fall asleep in each others arms beneath the watch of the stars, and in that one moment, the war, the pressure of the world - it all disappears.

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 **Please review! It really helps!**


	3. The Future

**Reviews will always be appreciated!**

In the whispers of the morning, when mist still clings to the air and the sun begins its ascent, Annabeth opens her eyes, heavy and bleary with sleep. A small smile breaks across her face when she feels Percy wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Don't leave yet," he mutters.

"I won't, I promise."

Even through her pajamas, she can feel the rippling muscles in Percy's bare chest and arms as he shifts into a more comfortable position and presses his cheek into her hair and inhales.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth says, laughing.

"Your hair smells nice," he senses her confusion and elaborates, "the lemon and strawberry scent."

"You know, these are the moments why you're called a Seaweed Brain."

Percy laughs softly, "I know."

They lay there quietly, glad for the peace and comfort while it lasts. In this one moment, she takes in everything — the softness of the bed underneath them, the salty breeze of the ocean, Percy's arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her like she was the only thing he had. But with every minute that passes, the warmth of his body pressing against hers and the comfort of his presence grows further and further as reality draws nearer and nearer.

They still have a battle to prepare for, friends to fight for — a world to fight for. Frank and the rest of the crew were probably searching for them frantically at this exact moment, but Annabeth didn't care — not about the Argo II, not about the gods and their stupid wars, not about Gaea or Porphyrion, only trying to capture and hold this memory forever.

"Annabeth, we have to get up."

She turns, "Yeah, I know, but — "

"You don't want to, you want to remember this while it lasts, while we still have the time to somewhat enjoy our lives," he finishes for her.

Annabeth smiles, and looks up into his sea green eyes, "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because I know you, like you know me," he replies.

"Figures," she mutters under her breath and Percy laughs.

After a long pause, Percy hesitantly breaks the silence, "I've been meaning to tell you about something."

"That's a surprise," she says sarcastically.

He raises an eyebrow, unamused.

"Ok, ok, what is it?" she asks.

"We're only a week from Mount Olympus," he starts.

"And?"

"Some of us are going to die there, most likely," he says.

Annabeth closes her eyes, grimacing, "Yeah I know."

Even though Annabeth could guess what Percy was about to say next, it still surprises her when he actually said it. Of the two of them, Annabeth had always been the one to plan ahead and lead their relationship.

"And when I don't mak-"

"IF you don't make it."

He looks unconvinced, and Annabeth sees a hint of something in his eyes, like he knows something the rest of the crew doesn't.

"Right, IF I don't make it, then I just want to tell you that-," he pauses and seems to gather himself, "I love you, and I always will. You are my life now, and that whatever future I might have, I hope that it will be with you."

"Percy, that's... that's really sweet,"

"But tell me again after the war, you're going to survive Percy, we're all going to survive," her voice is calm, a little frustrated.

"Annabeth -"

"No, Percy, listen to me! We're going to survive okay? We have to after all the gods have put us through! That stupid Lightening Bolt, the Golden Fleece, holding the sky, fighting Kronos," her body shook, "and - and, falling into Tartarus."

Annabeth takes a deep breath and stands, arms wrapped around herself, "We're going to survive okay? We have to survive. _You_ have to survive!"

Even to herself, the words are unsure and empty. But there is also truth in them. Without Percy, life wouldn't be worth living. This black haired, green eyed boy has become a part of _her,_ and without his kisses to wake her in the morning and his arms to warm her, she knows that she will follow him wherever he might go, even if that meant leaving the world of the living. Her mother had been right, she shouldn't have grown so attached to Percy, but the moments that they have together make up for it all.

A tear slips from her eye and her throat clogs up as a sob catches in her throat, "You're not going to die," she whispers again, "you can't."

He doesn't say anything, but his arms wrap around hers and pulls her shaking body into his, letting her bury her face into the space in between his neck and chest.

* * *

Later, when Frank finally finds them, he isn't flustered or embarrassed. The large, babyfaced boy who had been young and innocent no longer existed, and the sight of the two of them caught in each others tight embrace sends a pang of sadness through his heart.

"Breakfast in ten," is the only thing he says.

When he leaves, they pretend as if everything's normal, even if it is only for a minute. But Annabeth knows that they are needed and have to get up.

"I'm sorry Percy. It's just," she sighs, her eyes on his chest.

"Hey...Wise Girl," she finally gains the courage to look back up into his eyes, and there isn't any pity in them, only understanding and sadness and love. "It's okay, I'm here for you, always, and I know you'll be here for me. Just let go, for once, okay?"

Annabeth takes a shaky breath and nods, but as she sinks even deeper into the warmth of his body, she doesn't see his lips move soundlessly.

 _I'm sorry._

 _I'm sorry._

 **So, how was that? Put your thoughts in the Reviews!**


	4. Changed

**Hey! So first, those who guessed Nico and Reyna to be the guy and the girl are right. And the 'man' is Percy. yay.**

 **Anyways, this is chapter 4, with some actual action now, instead of just fluff and romance, btw, tell me how I did on those previous chapters please, and how I'm doing on this one, Thanks!**

When Percy and Annabeth come out, hand and hand, hair messy and eyes slightly red, Jason isn't very surprised. They try to hide it, but it is obvious Tartarus inflicted some sort of irreparable damage in both of them, although more significant in Percy. The guilt that flashes in Percy's eyes is obvious whenever the crew gathers and shares new information, whether it be from dreams or a vision from the gods.

While even Annabeth chimes in, Percy rarely ever joins, preferring to hold Annabeth and observe quietly, something so different of what he had been before falling into Tartarus that Jason finds it hard to believe that the two people are the same. It was as if the pit had somehow managed to grab all of the brightest spots of his personality and rip them out. The rest of the crew notices as well, but avoid the topic, knowing that the war that Percy and Annabeth fight everyday is one against themselves, and that no matter how much it hurts to leave the couple alone, it is the only thing they can do.

They find a seat in the corner, as far away from Jason and Leo as possible, preferring to sit with the more quiet members.

"So, Percy, Annabeth, what did you think about the cabins?" Leo begins innocently.

They ignore him.

"Oook. So, whats the plan, captain?" Leo asks Jason.

"First off, how far are we from Olympus?"

"Well, for once, we have good news, kind of," Leo says, "There's a strong tailwind, and we'll reach Mount Olympus within five days, although that could just be the wind gods or Zeus helping us for once."

He continues, "To be honest, there really isn't anything we can actually prepare for now, the last stretch hasn't really been dangerous or anything." Leo stops, "It's almost like Gaea wants us to have fun before... before doing you-know-what to all of us."

Immediately, the mood drops, everyone is well aware that these five days could be their last.

"Well, let's use that time while we can," Percy says.

They all turn towards his voice.

"What?" he asks.

Jason and Piper share a glance, but remain quiet, as do the rest of the seven.

"Seriously, why are you all staring at me like that?"

"It's just that..." Piper starts, "well..."

Jason states what they've all been thinking,"You've been distant, really distant, and you're like..."

"Like Nico, your personality I mean, not like," Piper vaguely gestures at Percy. "Your body or whatever," Piper mutters.

"Right."

"And?" he prompts, telling them to continue.

Annabeth saves them from Percy's cluelessness, "Shut up Seaweed Brain."

"But, but- "

With one glare from Annabeth, he shuts up, clearly unhappy and muttering under his breath.

"So, uh, that's it then, you're all dismissed!"

Jason watches in amusement as Piper rubs the bridge of her nose, before Percy takes Annabeth's hand and walks out. Soon after, Frank and Hazel disappear and Leo stumbles out.

"Gods, they are stupid."

Jason laughs, "Yeah, but at least Percy seems a little better now."

"I'm not too sure about that."

"You can see it in his eyes, the way he's trying to get everybody to stop worrying about him and worry about Gaea or something instead," Piper sighs. "I don't think he gets that we want to help."

Jason shakes his head, "No, he knows, its just that he doesn't want it. Believe me, I would know."

"Yeah, between you and Percy, I don't know which of you is more stubborn about proving your heroic worth or whatever."

He snorts, "Probably Percy."

"Yup, definitely Percy."

"I'm gonna go check on him ok? Maybe train a little bit, you should go check out Hazel as well, get some training in too," Jason says before walking out.

"Alright!" she calls after him.

As he ascends the few flights of stairs towards the deck, Jason can't help but wonder what will happen. Will the gods ever come to their aid? Unlikely. Will any help arrive? Unlikely. Will most or any of them survive? Unlikely. The more Jason thinks, the more he realizes that the chances of them succeeding, are close to none.

 _That's a depressing thought._

 _I guess what Percy said does make some sense, at least._

* * *

Jason finds Percy at the starboard of the ship, casually sitting on the railings with his feet dangling over the side and his hands messing with a pen in his fingers. He doesn't seem to care that any tiny lurch could send him plummeting to his death a couple thousand feet below, but maybe he trusts his reflexes? Jason doesn't know.

At last, one of them speaks up, "What do you want, Jason?"

"If it's reassurance or comfort or whatever, I don't want it, besides, you aren't in the position to give that comfort if you've never actually seen what's down there."

"That was kind of uncalled for, I'm not even here for whatever you think I'm here for," Jason says.

"Oh. Oh, okay, sorry then," he pauses, "So what are you here for?"

"I want to hone my skills a little, or are you scared for a little spar?"

"Never, Grace. You'd get destroyed."

Jason grins, this is exactly what he hoped for, besides, maybe they could finally end this grudge between them, "Prove it."

"I plan to."

Percy swings his legs over the railing and lands with a dull _thunk!_ His sword is somehow already in his hand.

"En garde, little cousin."

 **Well, there's chapter 4, it was a little bit rushed, and uh, yeah, no action yet, sorry :( But don't worry, there will be next chapter.**

 **Also, as always, leave a comment or a review about how I'm doing so far. Suggestions and criticism are always appreciated. Thanks!**


	5. A Grudge

**Chapter 5! Leave reviews and suggestions on how to get the story to be better (For example, past or present tense writing).**

 **Also: Thanks to Bruce77, mcoombes, and HowtheHoursGoBy for being the first reviewers, keep them coming!**

* * *

The leather wrapped pommel of Riptide was still warm and comfortable in his hand, but the blade seemed heavier, less balanced, almost as if the weapon had a mind of its own and was disappointed that its master had failed it in the moment when it mattered most. There wasn't anything special about this blade anymore, it didn't seem to hum in anger as it carved holes in the enemy, it didn't feel like an extension of his arm - and that weighed Percy down.

Ever since Chiron had thrown the ballpoint pen at him, Riptide had always been more than just a sword - it was alive with his father's power and the spirits of all those who had supported him, and when Zoe died and Percy learned of its true origins, her spirit had joined as well. But he had grown used to it, and when that sense of familiarity fled with his honor when he had dropped the sword, it became more of a liability than anything. He was slower, clumsier, weaker.

Twice the sword had nearly cost his life and the entire quest, and Percy still burned with shame from those moments. Dropping his sword out of pure fear was a mistake that hurt his pride and self esteem - nearly jeopardizing a mission by losing to a bronze chicken woman was even worse. There would not be a third time where he would make such a mistake.

And if he did fail to prove himself worthy to wield Riptide once again, he would train with it until the new unfamiliarity with the sword became his new familiarity.

Which was why he had agreed to Jason's challenge.

They circled each other slowly, looking for weaknesses in each other's stance.

When Jason slightly misstepped and ended up on his heel instead of the balls of his foot, Percy darted forward, eyes blazing, and sword arm extended. A _clang!_ rang out as Jason twirled his gladius and parried the blade before going on the counterattack.

His movements were focused, coordinated, efficient and forced Percy on the defensive. Jason slashed, Percy parried and leapt back as the son of Jupiter twisted his wrist and turned his slice into a jab, continuously pressing forward. As he continued to step forward, and the golden blade neared Percy's ribcage, Percy was forced to dive out of the way and curl into a roll.

He came up just in time to parry the gladius, and continued to frantically retreat backward, until he slowly began backing up into a corner made by the mast and a pile of crates. Jason smiled, and began to fight harder, being careful not to extend himself too hard, but enough to slowly force the son of Poseidon into the trap that he saw.

Desperately, Percy slashed at the taller demigod, trying to use his unpredictability to push Jason off balance, but once again, he parried and kicked at Percy. The son of Poseidon fell to a crouch, swearing, and rolled backward. When he stood, he found himself caught in a corner, what Jason had been planning for in the very beginning.

Jason grinned, "Game over, Jackson."

He feinted a cut and Percy fell for it, attempting to parry it, but his blade swished through the air. A victorious smile spread across the younger boy's face as he jabbed at the older boy's now exposed neck.

It never even neared its mark.

In that one moment, Percy slipped to the slide, allowing Jason's blade to slightly skim his skin before using the pommel of Riptide to strike Jason's wrist. The golden gladius fell from his hand and into Percy's own grip. Percy pressed the gladius into Jason's neck and watched as his younger cousin lifted his hands.

"Game over, son of Jupiter," he wasn't even winded. In fact, Percy was elated.

It was disturbing, this sadistic sense of satisfaction at being able to bring the son of Jupiter to his knees so easily. Percy could sense the rest of the Argo II's nervous gazes upon his back, and he wanted to laugh. He knew what they must've been wondering, how the son of Poseidon had managed to turn the tables so easily, almost as if he had planned it the entire moment.

They were right.

And it felt so good to make such a fool of Jason.

 _Just kill him already, you know he wants to take your spot, s_ omething whispered to him.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now, you win!" Jason shouted, a tiny drop of blood falling from his neck as Percy began to cut through the thin membrane that protected his jugular chord.

Percy didn't lower the blade, and his mouth twisted into a smile.

"Percy! Stop!" a vaguely familiar voice shouted, maybe it was Piper?

He ignored it, and continued to cut through this pathetic demigod's neck.

All of a sudden, soft, comforting hands pressed against his chest and gripped his arm, lowering it.

"Percy," this new voice was soft and comforting and sent the other voices in his head scampering away for safety, "I'm here."

And suddenly, he awoke, eyes wide and filled with horror and shame. He threw the swords as far away from him as he could, staring at his hands in terror.

 _Oh gods... was I really going to- ?_

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Percy groaned and pressed his hands into his head. "I'm so sorry Jason."

"Well, at least you proved your point," Jason laughed awkwardly.

"For fuck's sake, I would've killed you!"

"Nah, you would've stopped yourself."

 _No I wouldn't have._

"I hope," Percy muttered.

Jason smiled, "Whatever, it's fine. Want a rematch?"

Percy winked, "You bet."

In one motion, Percy kicked up Riptide.

Jason grinned, "With powers this time?"

"That would be a really bad idea," Percy snorted.

"Yeah, we've got to be miles from the ocean."

He snorted, "I don't need an ocean to beat you."

"Yeah, well, we're thousands of feet above the ground right now, and last I checked, you couldn't fly."

Percy smirked, "Don't be too sure abou-"

He lunged forward and slashed, but he could see that Jason had been expecting it and parried the attack. This time, Percy could see that Jason was ready for whatever tricks he might have up his sleeve.

"Last time I underestimated you, this time, the win's going to me," Jason smirked.

"Whatever you say, Grace."

They circled each other, trading cuts and jabs as Jason tried to feel out Percy's fighting style. Percy smirked, Jason would find that pretty hard to do, but he let the son of Jupiter believe that he was succeeding. Slowly, their pace began to increase as both demigods seemed to get a grasp of each others style.

 _You've got to destroy him, Jackson, you have to beat him._

 _I will. Now fuck off._

* * *

Their blades became blurs of bronze and gold, their bodies weaved in and out as they tried to draw blood from the other, but never succeeding. Jason continued to increase his pace, going faster and faster until he couldn't anymore. They traded blows, ducked each others blades, bob and wove, parried every strike, but slowly, Jason felt himself tire.

The beads of sweat dripping down into his eyes hurt, his arms were sore and his entire body just wanted to relax and give up after so much sparring, and the entire Argo II was watching, he couldn't let them see him lose after how he trash talked Percy so many times from before. Out of the corner of the eye, he sensed Leo and Hazel watching Percy admiringly, and he swore underneath his breath.

 _At least Percy seems to be tiring as well,_ Jason thought to himself, as he watched the son of Poseidon wipe away a bead of sweat from his eye.

Oh, how wrong he was.

In that one moment, Percy increased his speed, Riptide became a snake that twisted and danced around his clumsy gladius, attacking at times, playing cat and mouse.

And then Riptide began to move even faster. Percy was an absolute storm of power and speed, and his body seemed to know no limits as Riptide continued to blaze through the air, easily knocking away Jason's weak attempts at a counterattack. Fighting Percy was like fighting a thousand men at once, he had never encountered someone, besides _maybe_ Krios, that could fight this well.

He sped up again, and again. And each time Jason thought, _That has to be this guy's limit, there's no way any demigod can move this fast,_ Percy stepped up the tempo. And even then, although Jason could see the sweat that coated the other boy's face, and each heavy inhale and exhale, the son of Poseidon was still hardly trying.

At last, Percy ended it, casually twisting his wrist downward and catching Jason's gladius in Riptide's cross guard, disarming him.

There was a certain satisfaction in Percy's eyes, as if he had proved something to himself, but at least this time, he wasn't wearing that very un–Percy smile.

"Good job," he said, smiling slightly.

Jason snorted, "You destroyed me."

"Maybe, but I warned you," Percy grinned, "I don't need an ocean to beat you."

"Point taken," Jason said, and collapsed on a stool, trying to avoid eye contact with the rest of the crew.

"Damn, guess Tartarus wasn't too bad for him after all," Leo murmured.

Annabeth's voice was quiet and deadly,"Not too bad?"

"N-n-no I didn't mean it that way."

"NOT TOO BAD? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S DOWN THERE." She stormed away.

Frank and Hazel followed after her, with Leo trailing behind them, looking guilty.

Even Piper moved to follow after them, but she chose Jason instead, noticing the look in his eyes.

"Hey, it's alright, don't let him bother you," she said soothingly.

"Yeah, I try, but the way he beat me, it was so... deliberate," Jason looked up into her multicolored eyes, "You know?"

"He's older, he's more experienced."

"Still, that's no excuse for me losing so badly, besides, there's absolutely no way any mortal should be able to move that fast."

"It's alright, he has his strengths, you have yours. You know that he was trained as a hero, not as a member of a team, unlike you. You're a better leader, you're less of a trouble maker, and you sure as Hades are handsomer."

"Don't let Annabeth hear you say that," he laughed.

She smiled, "I won't."

"Do you think, after the war, maybe..."

"I don't know," Piper sighed, "It's just that, we might all die, and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I just hope that you'll be there with me, alright?"

"I promise," Piper whispered.

"Come on, let's go."

She leaned down, and helped him up, holding his hand as they made their way to their quarters.

 **First fight scene, how'd it go?**


	6. Visions

**First off: Thanks to HowtheHoursGoBy. Your reviews are awesome and the most helpful I've ever gotten. It'd be awesome if you could create an account so that I can respond. Also to that one generic guest, seriously appreciate how you've stuck by the story. And to Bruce77. Together, you guys have left more than half of my reviews.**

 **Second: To all new or old readers, leave your thoughts and criticisms! They are what keep me going!**

 **Now, onto Chapter 6:**

* * *

Thousands of miles away, Nico's eyes flew open and he shot up.

"Nightmares?" Reyna asked.

"Something like that."

He was still hyperventilating, and struggled to calm himself down.

"It was about the Argo II."

Immediately, Reyna put down the knife she had been sharpening. "What did you see?"

"Things are going pretty smoothly, and they're nearing Olympus by the second, but," he choked. "but something's wrong with Percy."

"What's wrong?"

"Him and Jason were sparring, but there was some sort of energy coming from Percy - like, a really dark one."

Reyna nodded, eyes dark and understanding.

"He's fighting it, and the thing doesn't seem to be able to control his body, but it whispers to him, it tells him to do things that Percy swore off in Tartarus."

He grew silent, and twisted the ring on his finger.

"Like what?" Reyna prompted.

"You know how a human's body is made of 60% water?"

Her eyes grew wide, understanding what Nico implied. "He can't do that, no demigod should be able to do that."

"Percy has always had that ability, he just never knew about it. But Tartarus unlocked it for him, and now, if he loses this fight with himself, the Argo II's biggest enemy will be Percy himself _._ "

Reyna swore, "Can we do anything about this?"

"No," Nico's voice was barely a whisper, and she had to lean in to hear what he said next.

"It's completely up to him now."

* * *

Frank sat alone in his room, eyes shut as he recited both of the Great Prophecies to himself. Normally, Annabeth would've been helping him, but Frank doubted that she would be too happy about what he was doing. The power and the way Percy had displayed today triggered something in his memory that Frank knew had to be connected to the Great Prophecy in some way.

 _A half-blood of the eldest gods, Shall reach sixteen against all odds, and see the world in endless sleep,_

Those three lines had to be about Percy. Frank knew that, but the next two, something about the way they had passed didn't seem right.

 _The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap, A single choice shall end his days._

Supposedly, Luke had been the hero when he had sacrificed himself to destroy Kronos, Annabeth had told him.

 _Olympus shall preserve or raze._

Ultimately, it was Percy's choice that had mattered the most when he gave away his only weapon to Luke, who had used it to kill himself and Kronos, which 'preserved' Olympus.

The Second Great Prophecy was much shorter and jumped around even more.

 _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,_

 _To storm or fire the world must fall,_

 _An oath to keep within a final breath,_

 _And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

Two of those lines had already been fulfilled, which meant that the world will have to fall and some guy will make an oath and die. No matter how much he twisted the words, he couldn't seem to make out the meaning of them.

"Dang it!" Frank swore.

"You alright?" Hazel called from outside. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

She opened the door quietly, and stepped in. Her hair fell in curls down to her shoulders and her eyes were tired. To Frank, she was absolutely beautiful.

"So, whats up?" she asked.

"Something I saw today, it just doesn't seem to add up."

"You mean with Percy?"

"Yes."

"I agree, something's seriously wrong with him, the way he looked at that moment, and this... this aura that seemed to surround him," Hazel sighed.

"What aura?"

"You didn't see it?"

Frank shook his head, "No, I didn't see anything."

"There's this weird dark energy that I keep on feeling come from him. Its subdued, almost as if its preoccupied with... with fighting something, like Percy."

"Was that why he was moving so fast?"

"I think so, indirectly at least," she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That's what's confusing me right now. You'd expect this thing would want to weaken our best fighter, but it only seems to be urging him to become stronger."

"What if its doing that so that if it takes over Percy's body, there'll be no chance that we could stop it?"

"I hope not, from what we saw, Percy might already be too strong."

"What about Annabeth?"

"There's nothing weird about her, which is weird. I'm going to ask her about that later, if she ever split up with Percy at any point or something."

"Huh. Okay."

"Gods, this sucks," she muttered.

"Yeah, we'll pull through though," Frank said and pulled her into his side.

She kissed him on the cheek and pressed herself into his side, "Hopefully."

* * *

Percy sat at the crow's nest with this head buried in his hands. Before, high places were one of the things on his list that he tried to avoid, but that had disappeared somehow. Maybe because he was losing respect for Zeus, maybe because he was growing more and more comfortable with his abilities.

At this moment, he didn't want to deal with anyone, not Annabeth, who he loved more than anything, but would only make it harder for him to execute his plan. Not Leo or Piper or Frank and Hazel, and definitely not Jason. And once again, Percy found himself taking in the stars and the colors in the sky. If he were ever to die, this view would be what he wanted to see last.

Slowly, his mind dulled and the lull of the ship pulled him into sleep.

He found himself back in Tartarus, chained on a small island surrounded by the rivers of the Underworld.

 _Percy Jackson, you have become of special interest to me. Be honored, for even the gods have not earned that privilege, but you, I see potential, I see power._ _Defeating the son of Jupiter so easily, defeating three Titans and two gods, those are impressive feats. I will be watching you, son of Poseidon._

The world faded to black once more and he found himself standing at the peak of Mount Olympus, the ground littered with bodies. But he refused to pay attention to them, fearing the worst.

Gaea's voice rang out, a sleepy whisper. _This is what you face, all these people, who's lives rest in your hands._ She smiled. _Do you think you c_ _an save them all?_

She crumbled to dust and disappeared, and the battlefield faded, replaced with Camp Half Blood.

"The Romans are preparing for battle."

Percy recognized that voice, it pulled at his memories and an overwhelming burst of nostalgia surged through him.

 _Clarisse._

"Their temporary defenses are better than our permanent ones, if they catch us like this, we're screwed."

She yelled in frusteration, "Agh! Where's Tyson when we need him."

"I am here, and my brethren as well," a voice rang out from behind him.

Standing in the doorway was Tyson, and behind him, an entire legion of cyclops. This should have made him happy, but the sight of this army only served in raising his anxiety. He couldn't see how Nico and Reyna would be able to stop this war.

Clarisse laughed out loud, "They're so screwed now!"

He tried to shout, he tried to warn her that this would never work, but she couldn't hear him.

And once again, he faded into darkness.

 **That was Chapter 6, sorry for all the line breaks**

 **Tell me what you guys thought!**


	7. Abandoned

**Sorry about not updating in so long. Motivation has been hard to come by.  
** **Please review.**

* * *

In the cool mist of the morning, Annabeth wakes, alone and tired. Her mind moves sluggishly as it struggles to wake, and she reaches for Percy. Her hands search the bed, clumsily patting for the familiar warmth of his body, but finds nothing but his discarded sheets.

Panic surges through her, and she shoots up, eyes wild, looking for any sign of him. There are none. Only his scent remains, the slightly salty and comforting smell that clings to the room and their pillow; it only succeeds in making her even more anxious.

 _Where are you? Please don't leave. Please Hera, tell me you didn't take him._ But as a demigod, Annabeth knows that the pleads and prayers will never be heard.

She begins to hyperventilate, gasping frantically as her chest rises and falls in erratic sequences. Her vision begins to darken, but she doesn't notice in her frenzied search for Percy.

Soon, the thoughts come. The worries, the nightmares, her worst fears. Her normally infallible sense of logic is slowly overwhelmed as her emotions completely take over. Reality begins to merge with memory, becoming indistinguishable from the nightmares she usually manages to quell with Percy's love and embrace - the arai, Akhylys, Tartarus himself.

"Percy? PERCY! Why did you leave me?" Annabeth fearfully cried. "Where are you?"

The panic builds, the worry, the anxiety.

And then everything disappears, replaced by darkness, and the flutters of _them,_ and their raspy voices that haunted her every night.

"Anywhere but here, anywhere but this moment!" she screams, nearly hysterical in worry and fear.

 _At the moment when you need him most, he will betray you._

 _You are nothing, everything you build will fall into ruins._

"STOP!"

 _I will tear him apart limb by limb, and then destroy his soul. He will forget everything, his friends, his parents, YOU._

 _He will be your greatest enemy, my greatest champion. He will torture you and hurt you in ways you cannot imagine, all because of one mistake YOU will make._

 _I will tak-_

"Annabeth!" Strong arms wrap around her, restraining and choking her, but at least the visions are gone.

She balls her hands into tight fists, throwing one blow after another. Her attacker cries out, and she hears a crunch. Pain rushes from her knuckles and up into her elbow as she finds his nose and jaw, but the satisfaction in hearing his cry makes up for it.

The pressure decreases, and the darkness becomes a little less dark. Immediately, Annabeth takes advantage and grabs the boy's wrist with her left hand and his bicep with her right, easily flipping him over her shoulder and onto the ground.

"Annabeth, stop! It's me."

She hears the words, but her mind doesn't seem to be able to comprehend them, and she pins the boy's chest down with her knee, releasing one punch after another. Each blow hits his face directly and the boy groans, but he doesn't fight back. A sliver of doubt rises, saying that maybe this boy isn't who she thinks he is.

Still, no matter how strong, everyone has a physical limit for pain, and the boy reached his when Annabeth slammed the palm of her hand into his forehead, and his body went limp for just a second.

And suddenly, her arms are pinned and she finds her back pressed against the wooden floorboards.

"Get off me!"

"Stop struggling, please Annabeth! It's me, Percy!"

When Annabeth hears that name, she immediately stills as an overwhelming load of emotions shoot through her body - happiness, care, worry, anger, love; memories and images of a boy with long, unruly, black hair and entrancing, sea green eyes, and arms that always calm her. Slowly, her heart rate slows and her vision clears. She finds herself lying on the floorboard, sweating with dried tears on her cheeks. Strong arms restrict her movements as she moves to sit up.

"Percy, I'm okay now, I'm okay."

Cautiously, Percy lets go and helps her up, worry and pain and regret in every movement and muscle of his body, and watches as her eyes find his, and then shift to his face, an absolute mess of bruises and blood.

"Gods, Percy, did I?" Annabeth choked, struggling to finish her sentence.

The expression on his face is as good of an answer as any. Only then, does she notice the tears that have traced their way down from his eyes. She lifts a tentative hand to brush away one.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," he whispers.

"No, no, I'm sorry, I - I did this to you," tears begin to fall from her eyes as well. "Why would you be sorry?"

This time, he is the one that refuses to meet her eyes, "I left you."

Another tear tumbles from his eyes and down his face, "Even after what happened down there, I left you, and that's much worse than this." He waves a hand over his face, which had somehow already nearly healed. "I deserve this, and so much more."

"How? How can you think that you deserve all this after all you've done for the world? For the gods?" her voice drops to a whisper. "For me?"

She waits for him to say something, anything, but he remains quiet, still refusing to meet her gaze.

"Percy, listen to me, you are the greatest person I know, don't do this to yourself, don't treat yourself this way. You deserve so much more."

Her hands find his cheek, and he leans into her touch, finally lifting his eyes. For once, they surprise her. No joy, happiness, or pride lights them up. They are a turmoil of emotions, filled with sadness, regret, anger - so different from the boy he had once been.

"From now on, together always, okay? Promise me."

They are only an inch apart, but that inch feels like a mile.

"I promise."

And then there is no more space between them, and she closes her eyes as his lips find hers.

* * *

 **Sorry about the short and rushed chapter**

 **As always, save an author, leave a review**

 **(please)**


	8. Broken

**A/N: To all the people who bookmarked this story, or favorited or followed this story (Big Thank You to you all!).**

 **ALSO, I don't think I'll ever leave this story until its done. So to every one of those who was worried, don't be! Review, Follow, Favorite!**

Rachel Elizabeth Dare swore silently, cursing her calculus textbook in five different languages. For all the knowledge and power that she now had as the Oracle of Delphi, she still couldn't solve this one problem. Just this one problem! But nope, being the Oracle of Delphi meant giving prophecies at the weirdest of times, and turning into some green eyed mummy.

"Fuck," she slammed her head onto the table, eyes watering at the impact.

 _Why can't this stupid gift be useful for once?_ she thought to herself.

Later, when the young Oracle looked back and wondered what had gone wrong that day, she would realize that it was that string of thought that had started it all.

It began with the vision.

For probably the hundredth time, Rachel inhibited someone else's body, probably some wind god or spirit or something. She floated above the Argo II along with an entire platoon of wind spirits.

 _Why not attack?_

"Dylan," Rachel felt her head turn, "Tell Gaea the Argo II is two days away."

The wind spirit, _Dylan?,_ nodded and morphed. It was not a pleasant experience.

Seconds later, Rachel was left with a churning stomach and blurry vision.

She stood atop Mount Olympus, in the eye of a churning whirlwind of earth and some dark substance. Before her, rising from the mud, was a stone slab etched intricately with a Greek lettering, telling the rise and slumber of Gaea. It reminded her much of Kronos' coffin, but seemed to have an almost gravitational pull upon her soul, an urge to lie upon it, and sacrifice her soul.

The wind spirit began talking to the stone, "Milady, they are only two days away."

A warm, yet also chilling voice responded, "Good. Prepare my sons, tell them that our moment of vengeance is nearly upon us."

"Of course, Milady."

"Please, call me Gaea, I do not wish to be worshipped and feared, only loved and respected."

"Yes Mi-Gaea."

As Dylan turned, and began to leave, Gaea called out, "Oh! And one more thing."

Rachel could feel the wind spirit freeze in fear.

"Yes?" his voice was shaky.

"I think you deserve a promotion, Dylan," even though Rachel couldn't actually see the goddess, she sensed the smile that must have spread across her face. "For allowing me to deliver such an important message to a certain acquaintance of mine."

 _Impossible, she cannot know I am here._

And then the storm cleared, revealing a legion easily five times the size of Rome's.

"Your legion is outnumbered, this is your last chance to surrender, Percy Jackson."

 _She thinks I'm Percy._

"Is that a no?" Gaea whispered.

Rachel struggled to answer, but her mouth wouldn't move.

"Very well, I respect your bravery."

"But are you brave enough to face my husband a second time?"

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Percy stood at the front of the ship, his unseeing sea green eyes burning with a new intensity. They didn't seem to register the hand waving frantically in front of his eyes, or the other flying ship that grew closer and closer by the second. And that couldn't have been possible, because the other ship was a massive trireme, shining like a second sun with all the armor and equipment scattered across its deck. If the ship hadn't been so close, Piper might've mistaken it for Apollo's chariot.

"Percy!" Piper shouted.

She waved her hand in front of his face, but he didn't respond.

"WAKE UP!" This time, Piper refused to be ignored, pouring conviction and anger into her voice. Immediately, he recoiled and stumbled, falling to the ground. If the other ship hadn't been there, Piper might've laughed at his expression.

She grasped his arms, and struggled to haul him up, barely managing to succeed.

"What the fuck _was_ that for?" he shouted angrily.

Piper only needed to point.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" he muttered under his breath.

"Me? You were supposed to be on lookout anyways!" she sighed, shaking her head, "Never mind, it doesn't matter, we have to do something."

"No shit."

Percy raised his arms, muttering something along the lines of "stupid voice" and "stupid ship".

 _Voice?_

She filed that thought away, reminding herself to ask Percy about it later.

And suddenly, the sea, which had to be at least hundreds of feet beneath them, came to life.

Hands sprang out from the water, massive cyclones that stretched far up into the sky, and grabbed at the boat, holding it suspended and a safe distance away from the Argo II.

"Where's Leo?"

"LEO!" Percy shouted.

"What's up Aquaman?" he shouted back.

"Get the rest of the guys here!" Percy told him.

Seconds later, the seven all stood at the prow of the ship, staring at the heavily armed ship clutched in Percy's watery fists. Annabeth walked up to his side, and placed a hand around his waist, a gesture that had an instantaneous effect. Percy immediately relaxed, and the pain in his eyes and face dropped as he struggled to keep the cyclone up.

"Leo, can you talk to them?" His teeth were clenched, and he struggled to get the words out.

"Uh... Yeah, sure."

Leo took out a megaphone from his tool pouch, which looked vaguely familiar.

"You recognize it?" he smirked.

"Coach Hedge's megaphone?" Piper grinned.

"Yup."

Annabeth cut them off. "Now's not the best time," she glanced worriedly at Percy, who was now beaded with sweat.

Leo nodded, and lifted the megaphone to his lips, but the other ship spoke first.

 _Hello, little demigods._ The voice was cold, lifeless, seemed to suck the air right out of Piper's lungs

Percy's watery fists suddenly collapsed, and he stumbled.

"No, no, no, no, that's not possible..." he whispered.

Annabeth didn't look much better, the terror in her eyes were almost infectious, and she was suddenly clutching at Percy's shirt, both of their eyes wide and unbelieving. A tear leaked from Percy's eyes and he buried his face into Annabeth's shoulder.

"We're gonna be okay, Percy, we're gonna be okay."

He only shook his head, but something didn't seem right.

The voice laughed, _Normally, I would sit these wars out, but this one? Oh no, I believe it is finally the time for the gods to fall,_ the voice paused for a second. _And for me to finish business with_ _a son of Poseidon._

Percy seemed to age ten years — his back slumped, his face grew weary and sad.

"How are you even here?" he shouted.

 _Ah, Perseus Jackson, you have survived surprisingly long. For that, you have my respect. Very well, I will answer your question. It was my dear wife that was kind enough in giving me this body, although it is temporary and weak. It would bring quite the smile upon her face if I were to capture you and the daughter of Athena._

 _This, unfortunately, will have to be the end of your little trip._

A tendril of black lightening streaked from the ground and slammed into the Argo II, plowing through the bronze shields and streaking towards Annabeth. With inhuman speed, Percy sprang up, straight into the path of the bolt of shadow. It sent him flying, and he crashed into the Argo II's mast.

"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed, rushing forward.

"Everybody, MOVE!" Piper yelled.

Jason was the first to unfreeze, grabbing Leo and shooting off toward the control station. Seeing Jason awake broke Tartarus' spell over Frank and Hazel's mind, and they sprinted off, leaving Percy and Annabeth still slumped against the mast, holding on to each other. Percy seemed to be okay, although his pupils were dilated and slightly dazed. Piper knelt next to them, and tried placing a comforting hand on their shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked.

Annabeth's voice was croaky and barely a whisper, "The voice, it's _him."_

"Who's him?"

"Tar-" she choked. "Tartarus."

And then Piper understood, Annabeth and Percy's sudden fear, the shame and the trauma that was etched in every feature of their body.

Percy clutched at his head, shaking, "It's him again. That voice, I've been hearing it every minute of the last few weeks, every fucking minute!"

"I thought - I thought that when we finally got out, it would all be over," he looked up, eyes empty and broken. "It's only gotten worse... so much worse."

For a moment, Piper was entranced, those eyes, usually warm, beautiful, and calm _,_ were cold, angry and terrified, and completely shattered. She felt something in herself break as well.

 _After everything they've done for Olympus, the Fates still cast them into Tartarus?_

And Nico, oh gods, he had it so much worse. At least Percy and Annabeth had each other, and managed to escape, he was all alone, subject to whatever fate the monsters would've wished upon him.

Another tendril of electricity slammed into the ship.

Percy swore, "Piper, Annabeth, go. They need you guys. I - I need to catch my breath for a while."

His eyes met Piper's, and were silent and pleading. _Please, get her out of here._

Piper nodded, steeling herself. She didn't know what Percy had in mind, but she trusted whatever it was he was planning.

"O - okay. Let's go, Annabeth."

Annabeth glanced at Percy uncertainly.

"It's alright, Wise Girl, I'll be okay," he forced a grin. "You're needed, now go and save the day."

The daughter of Athena flashed an uncertain smile, "I will."

Annabeth forced herself up, a new confidence in her eyes. As she turned, and began to leave, something seemed to stop her, and she jerked upright. Annabeth suddenly spun around and crashed into Percy, pulling him into her embrace, and kissed him, hard and long enough for it to get awkward for Piper.

Percy was the first to pull away, mouth slightly parted, but grinning nonetheless.

"For old time's sake, right Wise Girl?"

For once, Annabeth didn't say anything back, and only held onto Percy tighter.

"But seriously, be careful, alright?" Percy whispered.

A tear slipped from Annabeth's eye, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I will, but you better not die, Perseus Jackson."

"Promise I won't," he winked, slightly grimacing. "Love you Wise Girl."

And suddenly, they broke apart, and Piper watched as Annabeth turned her head and stiffly walked away. She sprinted after her, just barely noticing Percy's sad gaze upon her back. Piper forced herself to ignore it, and caught up with Annabeth.

The proud demigod refused to meet her questioning look.

"Sorry about that," Annabeth muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"What do you mean! You guys are so sweet!"

"Whatever, Piper."

She only laughed, and jogged off to help Leo and the rest of the crew.

* * *

 **I'm back, couldn't stay away from this story XD**

 **Review, help a writer!**


	9. Tartarus

**Sorry it took so long for me to update :D But the story's here now.**

 **Hope you guys like this chapter, kinda short (Tell me if you want longer chapters)**

 **Enjoy and Review.**

Annabeth sprinted downstairs, her eyes frantically searching for the engine room. Her breaths came in rapid gasps as she struggled to fill her lungs.

Everything hurt.

Only a minute ago, Piper had been fawning over her and Percy, somehow managing to laugh and joke around while Tartarus ripped apart their ship. Only when the mast had snapped in half, and Festus had grown silent, did the daughter of Aphrodite suddenly step up as a leader. Even Jason, who knew how intimidating and commanding Piper could be, was shocked when she suddenly began giving out orders to Leo, to himself, and even telling Annabeth to check up on the engine room, knowing that she needed something to do.

Of course, Annabeth was grateful that _someone_ could restore order – she doubted that any of the other crew members could have done a better job than Piper anyways – but she was still angry with herself when she had failed to step up and fill in Percy's position as the backbone of the crew.

A stray tear traced its way down her face as Percy's face flashed in her head.

His expression, his pain, his sadness were ingrained into her mind – and with every blink, she would see his grim smile and his shattered eyes. She would remember the bolt of lightening that had been meant for her, a rod of energy that surely would have killed her.

But Percy had moved impossibly fast, somehow managing to leap in front of her right before the tendril of lightening had struck her heart. Once again, Annabeth was reminded of how much better Percy was than her. After all, how could she deserve someone so selfless and loyal that he would relentlessly risk his life for hers?

Gods, she hoped he was alright; he had been hit so hard, it was a wonder he was still conscious. The stress, the worry for Percy, it was almost too much.

 _I can't let him down, I have to do this,_ she told herself.

A beam of wood fell across the hall. Annabeth easily vaulted over it, ducking right in time to avoid the falling lamp. She turned a corner, sliding onto the ground as large pieces of wood buried themselves into the wall behind her. Various pieces of metal were thrown into the air as the ship suddenly dropped a foot or two.

Though Annabeth rarely visited the engine room – that was Leo's job – she still knew the intricate web of corridors and doors that lead to it.

A left turn here, a right turn there, a hidden door, and Annabeth burst into the engine room, gasping for breath. Her knees were weak, and her head pounded. To think that this run would have barely winded her only a few months ago seemed impossible, and she swore to personally kill Tartarus for what he had done to her and Percy's bodies.

Annabeth scanned the room, there were pipes and wires everywhere, forming an intricate network of hardware that powered the ship and its weapons. Although Leo didn't show it, she had to admit that the scrawny Latino boy had some skills.

When her eyes found the bronze scales, she froze in shock. Hidden by shadows and nestled far into the back of the room, was a full sized bronze dragon, and next to it, was an air mattress littered with nuts and bolts and screws. Somehow, Leo had managed to rebuild Festus in secret.

 _But how?_ she wondered. _How did he get enough time?_

She answered her own question as random fragments of her own memory surfaced. Leo telling her that the hum of the engine helped him sleep, Leo saying that he wanted to make sure the engine always functioned properly...

Leo was a much better liar than he let on.

But all those lies and nights he must have spent awake would soon go to waste if Annabeth didn't do something. And fast.

Festus was on fire. And from what Leo had told her, the bronze dragon contained quite a high level of oil. It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen when the fire made its way down to the oil.

As fast as she could, Annabeth sprinted towards the bronze dragon. Above it, was a large tank of water. She silently thanked the gods that Leo had the sense to install a water tank in case things went wrong, and brought her sword down upon the flimsy aluminum.

The water, heavily pressurized and heated, exploded outwards. It caught Annabeth in the chest and sent her flying. Her head slammed into the wall with a nauseating conk.

Everything went dark.

* * *

Leo's hands flew across the controls, flipping one switch, then another. Jason stood next to him, sword out, slightly hovering in case Tartarus decided to target the Repair Boy.

"The oars are broken. The mast is broken. Festus is broken." his voice shook. "I'm sorry Jason, I don't think I can get us out of this one."

The son of Jupiter eyed Leo, his eyes were red, and for once, he looked completely still.

Jason grabbed his shoulders, and shook him hard, "You can do this! Don't give up!"

Leo took a shaky breath, and nodded.

Once again, switches quietly flicked and buttons glowed as he stabbed his fingers into them. But it was too late. The Argo II shuddered, and the already weak hum of the engines completely quieted.

"No, no, NO!" His fingers flew furiously over the mess of buttons and levers. "Come on, WORK!"

Leo looked up hopelessly, "The controls aren't working, I - I don't know why."

Slowly, the Argo II began to drift backward as Tartarus dragged them into his grasp. Dark tendrils wrapped around the cabin, bathing the interior of the cabin with shadows. At last, the scrawny Latino gave up. He slumped into his chair, all signs of his old self gone.

"Leo," the son of Hephaestus ignored him.

"LEO!" Leo's eyes met his, they were shattered.

 _Another broken demigod._

"It was nice working with you, Supreme Commander."

A small smile made its way onto his face, "Ditto."

Piper appeared next to them, exhausted, but her eyes were fierce and bright.

"Come on gu-" her voice broke when she saw the Argo II, a once magnificent vessel, now in shambles.

The mast was gone, the oars were gone, the weapons were gone. And the ship was caught in Tartarus' inescapable clutch. Jason watched as her face fell, and his blue eyes, met hers. They were filled with tears, and hopelessness, and loss. But through it all, shone love.

She grabbed Jason's face, and kissed him desperately.

They broke apart, a sad smile upon their lips.

"I love you," they whispered at the same time.

* * *

Funny what imminent death can do to you. Because only then, as Tartarus slowly pulled them into his grasp, did Jason fully understand how much value life can truly hold – a future with Piper, meeting his father, seeing the world, having grandchildren who would look up into his eyes, and laugh as he told them stories of the gods.

And all of it, gone in less than a second.

No more hopes.

No more future

No more _life._

 _Only unfinished duties..._

 _and broken promises._

But he refused to give in without a fight. To give up life without tightly holding onto its weak strands and begging it not to leave.

At least not yet.

So he stared straight into Tartarus' whirling vortex of a face, and laughed.

Tartarus flinched.

Then the lord of darkness relinquished his grip, and Jason's vision turned to black.

His last sight, a boy, with dark, messy hair, surrounded by a brilliant sea green aura.

* * *

 **Was it good? Did you guys like it? Did it send chills? Did it raise any emotions? Tell Me!**


	10. Speechless

For his entire life, Percy had been taught to stay strong, no matter what others told him. His first five years as a demigod had been spent fighting Kronos. The lord of time had tempted him, reasoned with him, threatened him, but had never brought him down to his knees.

Even from the beginning, Chiron had always told him to never give in to the promise of power. And Percy promised that it would never happen.

When he had first felt the true expanse of his capabilities in Mount St. Helens, he began to understand their worries, but it didn't bother him much at the time. After all, what powers would a demigod have to have to be unable to control himself?

And that logic had remained by his side for many years. Until Tartarus.

Standing before a cowering Akhlys, while controlling the primordial goddess's own domain had shattered something within him. Permanently.

He saw it everyday in his friends worried gazes.

In the mirror.

In Annabeth's terrified eyes as she stood in Akhlys' fields.

Percy knew what she saw, a monster, dangerous and powerful, standing in place of the clueless and innocent boy whom she had fallen for. The dangerously loyal demigod who might've been her first chance at something permanent.

And Percy wanted that too – to create a life with Annabeth Chase, to silence her worries – but not enough to risk her life.

So as Tartarus drew nearer, and his shadowy tendrils wrapped around the Argo II, Percy Jackson finally gave in to the primordial lord's whispers.

The immense pool of power that had begun building up within him four years ago...was at last released.

It was neither comfortable nor painful, cold nor hot, but it surrounded and consumed his very soul. He didn't fight it. At last, Percy allowed himself to feel, to release seven years of pent-up rage and confusion into the unforgiving expanse of Tartarus.

He vaguely registered the blue-green aura that encased his body, or how the sea became an extension of his body as it ripped apart the binds that held down the Argo II. In his mind, the only thing that mattered was tearing Tartarus apart with his bare hands. A black rage settled over Percy, his vision tunneled and was tinted with red as he shot forward – encased in his own hurricane – and cut cleanly through the other ship.

And for once, the voice that had never quieted, was speechless.

"TARTARUS!" Percy roared, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

The aura around him glowed brighter, and the mass of monsters that manned the ship cowered and turned away in an attempt to shield themselves from Poseidon's blessing.

Percy snarled, and his eyes darkened in anger. In one fluid motion, he drew Riptide and decapitated the nearest monster – an unfortunate dracaena. The son of Poseidon strode forward, eyes roaming across the small army.

One by one, they uncertainly drew their weapons.

"Stay back," an empousa snarled.

A dark grin flashed across Percy's face, and he continued to stride forward. The monster didn't seem to notice that its friends were completely frozen.

"Stop right there, or we will atta-!"

She suddenly quieted as Percy darted forward, faster than the empousa's ability to react, and brought Riptide to its throat.

His voice was quiet, barely a whisper. "Or what? What will you do? Because I will show you what I can do if you don't tell me where Tartarus is."

The empousa swallowed, all bravado gone, "I don't know where he is."

The son of Poseidon shook his head, and sighed. "A shame, Kelli, I was hoping that you could help me out."

Kelli began to scream. She fell to the floor, and clawed at herself as smoke and tears began to flow from her eyes. Writhing and screaming, the empousa slowly turned into a shell, devoid of blood and body fluid. Her eyes flicked about frantically, and they pleaded for death.

Percy happily obliged.

"Now tell me, WHERE IS TARTARUS?" he snarled.

A deep voice cut through the silence.

"I am right here, little demigod."

* * *

 **I'm still here! I know I haven't updated for an entire month, and I'm so sorry!**

 **Sorry about the short chapter too.**

 **As always, Review and Fav!**


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